if they can get it done tonight on the eve of of the fiscal cliff, they can actually say they were able to get it done before we went over the cliff. that they were not so deeply, deeply irresponsible that they actually let us go over the cliff, to hammer a deal out. sometimes the congress likes to make a show of working very hard at the last minute, like a college student, who procrastinated, and then finally got the paper done. this is an embarrassing show of how we legislate in this country, but they are showing that it can be responsible, get this deal done, and go home. >> in what way can you describe the tone that this has taken, primarily this evening, as of yesterday it was this big blame game going on with fingering pointing. and really over the past couple of weeks it has been a roller costar. one day, all of this bipartisan spirit, the other day there is not. how do you think this whole thing is ending up as we stand here tonight. >> it is always a good policy in washington to assume that cooperation leads to compromise. oftentimes it is not, oftentimes what leads to compromi